Hollow steel ball and method of making it



July 6, 1926.

D. w. ,GAFVERT ET AL HOLLOW STE EL BALL AND METHOD OF MAKINGIT Filed Oct. 25, 1925 Patented July 6, 1926.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

DAVID W. GAFVEBT AND GUNARD O. CARLSON, OF EASTON, PENNSYLVANIA, AS- SIGNOBS TO WILLIAM WHABTON JR. & 00., INCORPORATED, OF EASTON, PENN- SYLVANIA, A COBBORATION OF PENNSYLVANIA.

HOLLOW STEEL BALL AND METHOD OF MAKING IT.

Application filed October 23, 1925. Serial-No 64,352.

Our invention is concerned more particularly with the production of balls for use as check valves in pumps, rams and other hydraulic machinery. Check valves of this type range from very small sizes to relatively large sizes. It has been customary to press the smaller sizes from sheet metal and to either cast the larger sizes or to fabricate them from two or more sections. These practices are costly and the products are open to the objections of flashing, subnormal or abnormal weight, improper balance and generally to the lack of true spherical quality so necessary to meet the efficiency demanded of valves of this type.

lVe propose to obviate the aforementioned objections by providing a hollow steel ball forged from a billet whereby we lessen the cost of production and insure products of uniformly high rating as regards distribution of weight, strength, perfection of shape,

smoothness of surface, and overall efficiency to meet the demands of service.

The nature, characteristic features and scope of the invention will more readily be understood from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, forming a part hereof, wherein-- Figure 1 is a sectional view of the billet positioned for piercing;

Fig. 2 is a sectional view showing theforging resulting from the operation, Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a similar view of the forging after cropping;

Figs. 4, 5 and of necking;

Fig. 7 illustrates the condition of the work after the removal of the neck;

Fig. 8 illustrates the next phase of filling thevoid established by closing in or necking; and

b gig. 9 is a sectional 'view of the finished According to our invention we start with -a billet 5 of round or polygonal section. This is heated to forging or working temperature and arranged for piercing in a die 6. The cavity of the latter is cylindrical and 6 illustrate the development semi-circular with respect'to the walls 7 and with a piercing tool 10 produces the hollow forging shown in Fig. 2. An important feature of that forging is the presence at the closed or rounded end of a boss or proleading to the development of the neck 13,

Fig. 6. This operation is performed in a manner well known and not requiring illustration.

The next operation is to remove the neck to produce the article, Fig. 7. In this state there is a void 14 which makes for unbalanced weight. We eliminate this condition by drilling and tapping co-extensivewith the void and filling the drilled hole with a screw plug 15. Before inserting the plug use is made of the drilled opening to center the article and cut off the boss orprojection 11. The finished article is shown in Fig. 9.

Having described our invention, we claim 1. The method of roducing articles of the nature indicated w ich consists in pierc: ing a billet to produce a hollow structure having a substantial area of the shape of the finished article. closing the open end by working, removing the neck resulting from workin and unifying the distribution of weight y drilling and plugging the necked area.

2. The method of producing articles of the nature indicated which consists in piercing a billet to produce a hollow structure having a substantial portion of the shape of the finished articleand having a centering boss or "projection, closing the open end by Working, removing the neck resulting from working, drilling and tapping the necked area, removing the centering boss, and plugging the necked area.

tures.

DAVID w. GAFVERT. GUNARD o. CARLSON.

In testimonywhereof we affix our sigma- 

